Begin Again
by xlightersintheair
Summary: A lot can change in four years, people, places; but is it enough time for feelings to change? For AJ and Phil, that question will soon be answered, will it be the one that they are hoping for? *sequel to Long Live*
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: **I am aware that I promised this story ages ago, but it just wasn't possible for me schedule wise. Besides, this is a sequel to my best story to date, I wanted it to be perfect! I hope that everyone finds this story to be as interesting (and worth the wait) as the first one!

This story will have its share of twists and turns, drama, romance, comedy; everything that 'Long Live' had. There will be mentions of a few new people, but I'm going to keep the main focus on the old crew.

With that being said, here is the first chapter of my new baby, 'Begin Again', please enjoy!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<br>**_a journey of a thousand miles, begins with one step_

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><p>"Well, that's the last of it, roomie."<p>

Slamming the truck of her matte pink _Cadillac _Natalya sauntered over to AJ, who stood by her yellow drop top _Camaro_. Their four years of University had come and gone, now came the time for something neither of them were quite ready for; their goodbyes. Enveloping each other in their arms, they chose to remain silent for the time being, once they pulled apart they could see just why; the tears were welling up in their eyes. One word would have caused a downpour. They had spent almost every day for the past ten years together, what were they supposed to do now?

"Oh, Nattie! I'll miss you so much!"

"I will too, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself! How will I ever survive without our movie nights?"

The brunette offered a small smile to her friend, "I'm sure that your new job will keep you busy enough, you big Chicago detective you."

The blonde beamed when she was called that, she was proud of herself, and she should be. Nattie had worked tirelessly for the past four years, fifteen hour course semesters, plus interning, and trying to keep up with a job to pay the bills? A weaker woman would have given up after the first semester, but not her, she was a fighter and nothing was going to keep her from realizing her dreams. If anyone deserved a shot at the 'big time' so soon, it would be her.

"And you? AJ Lee, DVM… it has a nice ring to it! I'm so proud of you, you've had so much to battle through; and you did it all with a smile on your face. You'll do such great things, kid."

"Well, I still have four more years until we can attached DVM to my name, I couldn't have gotten through any of that without you by my side."

"Oh, those years will fly by, just like these did!" after giving her another, she pulled away, "Until then, are you sure that you want to go back to Andrus? What if Phil isn't even there anymore? Or what if he's… over you?"

Those last two words hurt her more than she'd like to admit. That question had crossed her mind from time to time, more so in the last few days. But she wasn't the type of person to leave things in a 'what if' state. They very last time they talked, she had promised to come back to him. Even if they were no more, she just _had _to be sure.

"I just have to be sure." She repeated out loud. "Either way this goes, I need to know, and I'm ready to face whatever consequences come from my actions four years ago. Besides, if it doesn't work out, Athens and my dad are right down the road for me to run to."

"Right… Chicago is always there as well, I'll have a spare bedroom made up for you whenever you want to come up!" embracing her in what would be their last hug for a while, "if you need a_nything _do not hesitate to call, I'll never be too busy for you, okay?"

Nodding, the brunette allowed a few tears to run down her face, "I will, and if Louie needs a checkup, you know who to call. I love you, so much."

"I love you too, babe, I'll see you soon; let me know when you get there? Also, tell Ashley and Randy that I said hello."

Releasing each other, AJ watched as she walked to the driver's side of her vehicle, and slid into her seat. Even through the heavy tint, the blond could be seen hunched over, finally letting all of her built up tears fall. Building up the courage to not do the same, she slipped inside her own vehicle, picked the perfect Pandora station for her drive, and drove out of the driveway. Passing all the homes that she had grown accustomed to seeing every day in their gated community, she felt the knot in her throat get bigger.

"April Jeannette Lee, you better not start crying. It's time to move on, you've got your whole life ahead of you now."

Reaching the gate, she rolled down her window and handed the gatekeeper her key, "Here you go, Tom, see you around." She nodded as he wished her well in her future. Soon enough, she found herself headed North on I-75, with the music blaring, she stepped on the gas in an effort to keep up with all the traffic.

She smiled nervously when she read a sign that said, 'Andrus 300 miles', "I'm coming back to you, Phil, please be there."

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><p>She should have graduated yesterday, if he still had his calculations right. He could see her now, that infamous – and infectious – smile across her face, receiving what she had worked so hard for. He wished that he could have been there, even if she didn't know, it would have been nice to see her. But the urge to run to her and envelope her in a hug would have been too strong for him to handle.<p>

Besides, what if she was over him by now? She probably had a boyfriend, one whose family she met over Christmas break, the family fell in love with her; and now she's engaged. The thought of all of that killed him.

He hadn't done well for himself after she left, when she didn't come back that next summer, he just continued to spiral downhill. He just wanted a rewind button. He wanted to go back to the beginning of that summer, he'd do it all so differently; he'd make her _want _to stay. But then, she'd most likely be unhappy had he done that; she wouldn't have the chance to chase her dreams, and she'd surely take that out on him.

But wouldn't he be better off right now, had she stayed? Of course.

That would have given their relationship a chance to actually _be _a relationship. Then, if they didn't work out, he'd know that they at least gave it their all; instead of just leaving themselves in this big 'what if' situation. But, as per usual, he doesn't get what he wants. The man upstairs must enjoy seeing him in pain.

"Hey, Punk, your break is up, buddy."

Tossing his trash in a nearby bin, he walked to the door marked 'employees only' and clocked back in. Waving off his co-worker to their own break, he then stood behind his register, "Hello, welcome to Edgar's Convenience Store, where we aim to please."

As he rang up their items, he quickly glanced at the clock next to him. Five more hours until it was time for him to head home, and with AJ on his mind, today was definitely going to be a long one.

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><p><strong>an: **I am so incredibly happy to have this chapter done for y'all, I know that y'all have been waiting for quite some time! Please let me know what y'all think in a review, they are much appreciated! I hope that I didn't disappoint anyone!


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: **Thank you all so much for all of the love on the first chapter! I'm so sorry that there has been a delay on getting the second chapter out, but, here it is!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<br>**_tell me where to go from here_

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><p>"<em>Boys! Ten minutes till dinner, please clean up!<em>"

"Alright, X, we have time for one more down, you ready?"

"Yeah, Dad!"

Getting in the quarterback position, he did a quick three count, before yelling out "hut, hut"! Watching as his son took off sprinting down the front yard, he couldn't help but smile as he watched him juke his 'defenders', and then jumping up and down when he got into the end zone. Randy had never gotten time like this with his own father, who was always out of town on business, he'd be damned before his own son had to say that.

"Randal Keith and Xavier Reid!"

"Get ready, son!"

Extending his arm back, he threw the ball hard enough to get to his son, but gentle enough as to not hurt him. To his surprise, the ball was caught, he loved Xavier, but he had the coordination of his mother when it came to sports. These sessions must really be paying off. Running over to him, he enveloped him in a hug, "That's my boy! Let's go tell, mommy!"

Carrying him inside, they then walked into the kitchen where Ashley was placing food on their plates. With her hair tied up in a messy bun, and her makeup removed, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. And she was all his. After telling her about their sons' latest feat, he sent him on his way to get cleaned up. Upon washing his own hands, he then helped her set the table for their dinner.

"Vi and Char aren't coming over tonight?"

"No, I can't remember what she said they were doing, but they aren't going to make it."

The duo were a regular at their dinner table, especially since Phil had left then about three years ago. The whole situation was tough for everyone, but they were getting through it day by day, together. Once everyone was seated, they said a quick prayer, then dug into their food.

"So, the bank called again today."

When she shot him a look that he knew all too well, he turned to his side, "Hey, bud, why don't you take your dinner to the living room? I hear there's a _Ninja Turtle _marathon on."

"Sweet! Thanks, Dad!"

After he left them, he turned back to Ashley, "For the house, or the shop?"

"Both. They're threatening to take one away, if we don't get paid up in three months, we'll either be homeless or jobless."

Randy sighed, when the three of them were there, everything was paid on time. They split the bills in half. But now it's just the tow of them paying it all, and with business being slow plus a child, the line was definitely being stretched thin. Violet helped when she could, but she had bills of her own that she struggled with.

"What are we supposed to do, Randy?"

"I can call my par-"

"No! They don't agree with our careers, we don't need them knowing that we're failing."

"I'd rather swallow my pride, than be on the streets!"

"Keep your voice _down_."

"Look, I don't like this situation any more than you do… but if we don't ask _someone _for help, we'll end up crawling back to St. Louis anyway. So, what do you want me to do?"

Wiping a stray tear, she sighed, "We have three months to figure something out. Until then, you say _nothing _to them."

Shaking his head, Randy excused himself from the table, "This isn't something we should put off." He stated before leaving the room completely.

Gathering the plates, Ashley made her way to the kitchen, as she waited for the dishwasher to warm up; she glance over at Phil's house, "Dammit, Phil, just come back to us. We need you."

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><p>If there were ever a time where she thanked God for tinted windows, it would be this time. She had been parked on the opposite side of <em>Chesnutt Avenue<em>, a few houses down from Phil's place. A smile came across her face when she saw Randy outside playing with his son. He looked to be taking the daddy role very well. Ashley had stepped outside for a couple minutes, she looked as beautiful as ever. Their family was absolutely perfect.

It took everything in her to not drive up and greet them. The bad taste known as AJ Lee was probably still in their mouths, and she didn't blame them. The way she left was unacceptable, even if they knew that it would come eventually. At the time, it seemed proper, but not it just seemed unfair to everyone involved. Especially their neighbor.

Now that her mind was one her ex-beau, she wondered where he was at. His dark green _Jeep Wrangler _wasn't in his driveway, she knew that he wasn't at the shop – as that was her first stop. She was aware of how stalkerish that sounded, but she just wanted a glimpse of him. Those hopes were diminished when she pulled up, and there was absolute darkness in the building, so that's why she came here.

Once she noticed that the sun was beginning it's descend, she decided that it was time for her to head to the beach house. She wasn't sure what tomorrow would hold, in all honesty tomorrow's actions may be the same as todays. Her nerve to confront any of them hadn't quite built up yet, she wasn't even sure when that would happen.

Not keeping in touch with any of them, had proven itself to be quite the mistake. Where did she stand with them? Could she just pop back in like nothing had ever happened, or would she need to work to get back into their good graces? The latter part of that question was more than likely the answer. She was way in over her head on this one.

As she pulled into the garage of her home, she shot Natalya a text informing her of her safe arrival. Grabbing her necessities, she then made her way into the beach house, her nightly routine of showering and changing into pajamas took up a good hour and a half of her time. Once she was able to lay in bed, her body automatically began to shut itself down, this had truly been a long day.

Yawning, she turned to her side in an attempt to get herself comfortable. The moon was just beginning to come up over the water, she had truly missed this place. Running her hand over the pillow next to her, she felt a knot begin to twist up in her stomach, oh how she wished that he was next to her. Their last night together was spent exactly like this, not much was said; they just laid there holding each other.

As the darkness was closing in on her, she felt a tear run down her cheek, she didn't know how or when she would get back to Phil; she just knew that she had to, even if he didn't allow her back in.

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><p><strong>an: **So, there we have it! I truly hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter, let me know what y'all think in a review! I had a couple messages asking about the other girls from "Long Live", I will be cluing y'all in down the line! We'll also be seeing some of Violet and her sweet daughter Charlotte soon! A picture of Xavier will be up on my Twitter, if y'all want to see what he looks like. Link is in my bio!


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: **Here's another chapter, hope y'all enjoy it!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<br>**_haven_

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><p>If there were ever one activity that he truly felt free doing, it would be running. The wind blowing through his hair, music blaring through his earbuds; it was a relaxing process for him. All the built up anxiety was gone in the span of an hour or so, he almost felt like his old self again. The best part of it all, was his midway point.<p>

It was at the top of an old hill, no one seemed to go up there anymore; which suited him just fine. Sitting on its peak, he got to see the whole town of Daye, Georgia, the place he had called home for the past three years. The town itself wasn't as beautiful as Andrus was, it damn sure didn't mean as much to him either, but it provided a wonderful chance at a new life for him. For that, he was grateful.

It was here that he did most of his thinking, it was peaceful up here. No distractions, just him and his mind; which wasn't always a pleasant thing to be alone with, but he knew that he needed this time out. This thirty minutes or so gave him the strength to get through his entire day.

Inevitably, this is where s_he _was free to run through his mind. He didn't have to suppress the mixture of sadness and anger that came over him. He sounded like a broken record, of that he was sure. But he just couldn't help it.

AJ had been the one to put a light back in his life, she gave him the motivation to get through the hard days. He had opened himself up to a girl once more, allowed himself to feel love once again, to feel _happy _again. Those few weeks with her had opened his world up to everything that felt right, much like Alyssa had.

Then she was gone, she left and took his heart with her. He held on for that year, she had texted him a couple times, to her they may have been just messages; but to him, they were hope. All of which was gone when she didn't come back after her first year. She hadn't said that she would, but he had just figured as much.

When she didn't appear after the first week of summer, he made the decision to leave. He left a note for Violet to find, he didn't put much of an explanation, just that he had to go and not to bother calling. Which, for the record, everyone seemed to ignore.

At the time of his departure, he didn't have a single clue as to where he was heading. He just knew that he had to be away from Andrus, and all of the memories it held. What he did know, was that he wouldn't be gone for a long time, he just had enough money to stay gone for a couple months. That was until he walked into, _Edward's_, to fuel up.

The guy behind the counter looked frustrated as he scanned the customers in front of him. When it was his turn to check out, curiosity got the best of him and he asked what the problem was. His brown eyes shot up in a 'what's it to you' fashion. After seeing that he wasn't just going to walk away, the man sighed.

"I just got roped into a double, I'm missing my baby sister's high school graduation."

"Damn… that sucks, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, your sympathy does nothing for me." He then put his snacks in that bag, "have a good night, sir."

"No, _you _have a good night."

"You're an asshole."

Chuckling, he threw his bag back on the counter, "Now, is that any way to talk to the guy who's going to take your shift?"

"Excuse me?"

Walking around the counter, Phil cracked a sly smile, "You heard me, I am taking over."

"Wh-what? You can't… you need training! And my boss, he'll freak."

Throwing his hands in the air, "Whoa, whoa… not to be an ass, but I don't think that it takes a whole lot of training to push some buttons. Now, I'm gonna go move my _Jeep_, and when I get back, you'll give me a little rundown, and then be on your way to see that sister of yours."

Before the man could contest, Punk went out to do what he had just said, when he got back, the cashier was pacing back and forth behind the counter.

"Hey, I know how this looks… but I promise you, I'm not crazy. I'm not going to rob the place, I'll leave it just like I get it." He couldn't tell if the man had given in or not, so he decided to try a line that he knew would work on him, if the roles were reversed, "C'mon man, imagine the look on her face when she sees you in the stands. This is a big moment, you shouldn't have to miss it. I'm trying to give you the opportunity not to."

Sighing, he looked around as if to he were weighing his options, "Alright… we usually get slow around this time anyway."

It took about fifteen minutes for him to give him the basics on how to run the place, "Okay, so that's basically it. We'll be closing at ten, I should be back by then, so you don't need to worry about it."

Phil watched as he grabbed all of his stuff and headed for the door, "I'll see you in a couple hours, thanks again…?"

"Phil… but pretty much everyone calls me, Punk."

"I'm Seth, nice to meet you."

With that, he was out the door and didn't return until later, like he had promised. The duo hit it off pretty well, and he was invited to his sister's celebration party the next night. One thing led to another and Punk got a job at the place, Seth helped him out with an apartment, and the rest was history.

Seth was the only person he felt comfortable talking to. He knew everything from Alyssa, the baby, Randy, Ashley, and of course, AJ. At the same time, he also shared stories from his past.

He had a Bachelor's degree, in Business to be exact. The first job he ever got offered was in New York, but his mom had gotten sick, so he decided to stay home. Working at _Edward's _wasn't exactly glamorous, but it paid his bills, and he was only a few minutes away from his family, should they need him. Seth wasn't like anyone else he had ever met before. He had such a different outlook on life, it was nice to see things from another person's perspective.

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, he pulled it out and saw that it was the guy he was thinking about. Today was their only day that they had off together, so they usually hung out together. Whether it be at one of their houses, or Seth's parents' house. This day in particular would be spent with his parents, it was his dad's birthday, so the usual cookout and small celebration was in store for them.

The text was a mere reminder for the day's festivities, and also to tell him not to forget about picking up the cake that had been ordered. He replied, telling him that he would get what was needed, and not to worry about it.

Once the message was sent, he decided that it was time to head back home. By the time he got there and got ready, it would be time to leave. With his music playing, he set foot on the pavement and began his five-mile trek home.

Today would definitely be a good day.

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><p><strong>an: **So, what did y'all think? And in case y'all are wondering, yes the Seth in the story is Seth Rollins. I hope that everyone is having a great day, and have a wonderful weekend!


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